Tarui told NBC News that the hashtag began as part of a group chat on Twitter with some of his peers,

The purpose of the tag was to create solidarity amongst us youth (many of us use Twitter to advocate), form friendships, and learn from one another.”

He added, “The tag was originally meant to discuss simply our experiences with racism, but because the tag was general we (the people in the group chat) decided that it would be okay to also use this tag to simply discuss what it is like being Asian – the racism, the culture, the pride, the shame, etc.”

“Confronting issues such as the racism we face and the internalized racism it has caused in many of us is important as it helps us move forward … We also believed it was important we discussed the issues highly prevalent in our communities such as racism against one another, colorism, and anti-blackness.”

Unbeknown to Tarui, his hashtag would spread across Twitter globally like wildfire. Asians from all around the world were joining in with the hashtag, including rapper Heems from the hip-hop group Das Racist.

In August 2015, Jason Fong, who was 15 at the time, triggered #MyAsianAmericanStory in response to a remark about anchor babies, “I know that, right now, I’m just a kid with a phone. I hear you, but if one of the goals is to strengthen our community by expanding the scope of our messages, why shouldn’t we use social media if it helps us reach more of our community?”

Tarui believes that his hashtag will continue to tell Asian American stories and use their voices as “many of us so often feel like we don’t have one.”

Most of the tweets using the hashtag discussed racism and stereotypes.

#BeingAsian having ur peers mock the nail salon ladies accent, when she at least learned English & theyre too dumb to learn another language

The hashtag was an incredible example of solidarity and the importance of sharing stories to demonstrate that conflicts regarding culture are shared by many, all around the world. It’s important to be vocal about your experiences, whether it be on social media or face to face.

Cohan has written for online publications including Seeking Alpha, The Huffington Post, Gigwise, Time Out Singapore, The Metropolist, Zoo, We Plug Good Music and Redstar Qingdao. Through Resonate, he hopes to elevate the much-needed presence of East Asians in the media. His lifetime goals include befriending Noel Gallagher and owning a Nando's Black Card.